Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The 2020 World Series is finally upon us, with the two best teams from the regular season — and favorites from the League Championship Series — squaring off for the title after taking very different roads to get here.
The Los Angeles Dodgers rallied back from a 3-1 deficit in the National League Championship Series to win it, and they are listed as consensus -200 favorites (bet $200 to win $100) on the World Series odds over the Tampa Bay Rays, who are +170 underdogs (bet $100 to win $170) at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Dodgers return to the World Series for the third time in four years and hope this will be the charm, as they attempt to win it all for the first time since 1988. They overcame series deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 in the NLCS and even trailed Game 7 on Sunday 2-0 and 3-2 before eliminating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on MVP Cody Bellinger’s solo home run in the seventh inning.
Los Angeles did not have to use ace Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 3.32 ERA in three postseason starts) and saved him for the World Series opener despite mixed results due in part to back spasms. Kershaw will get the call for Game 1 on Tuesday, while Walker Buehler (1-0, 1.89 ERA in four playoff starts) is slated for Game 3 on Friday as he pitched Game 6 of the NLCS last Saturday.
Buehler turned in six scoreless innings in his most recent outing against Atlanta, scattering seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts in a 3-1 victory. Kershaw took the loss in Game 4 last Thursday, surrendering four runs and seven hits in five innings after giving up three runs and nine hits in 14 innings over his previous two starts with one walk and 19 strikeouts. With that setback, the future Hall of Famer fell to 11-12 all-time in the playoffs with a 4.31 ERA.
On the other side, the Rays blew a 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series before taking Game 7 over the Houston Astros 4-2 on Saturday to advance to their first World Series since 2008. Tampa Bay’s pitching rotation should also be set up nicely, as ace Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.66 ERA this postseason) will pitch the series opener because his last start came in Game 4 versus Houston with the team going for the sweep.
That obviously did not happen, but at least Glasnow will be well-rested for the biggest start of his life. Blake Snell (2-2, 3.20 ERA in the playoffs) took the loss in Game 5 on Friday and is expected to start Game 2.
These teams have not met in over a year, splitting four games in 2019. The Dodgers have won seven of the past 11 meetings with the Rays dating back to 2013, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. The OVER cashed in all four meetings last season at sports betting sites and is 7-2 in the last nine matchups. In addition, Los Angeles has gone 16-4 in its previous 20 interleague games, with the OVER going 10-5-3 in the last 18. Tampa Bay has won four straight against NL opponents after dropping four of six, and the UNDER is on an 8-2 run in its past 10 interleague games.
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